Strong Livingston Response To Development, “Don’t Make It Look Like Bozeman”

Development takes many forms in Montana. When it comes to rebuilding an entire city block (or a pretty large building), Montanans are growing weary of block after block of the same kind of 'industrial cube' aesthetic. In fact, Livingston is begging developers to NOT follow Bozeman's playbook.

An apartment building and a restaurant space are coming to Livingston's 2nd street - after the currently standing historic building is demolished. The development is for the Industrial Towel & Cover Supply building at 218 S 2nd Street.

It's unclear if any of the brick attributes will be repurposed or recreated - but it's not looking good - and local Livingston residents are not thrilled. This specific Livingston development was the topic of much online conversation, and it went like this:

Original Post: "The "before". Soon to be apartments with retail at street level. I BEG OF YOU (the builder) please, please do not make it look like Bozeman. Surely, it's possible."

• "That façade is just incredible with such fine brickwork. The builders said it could not be saved! No imagination, no sense of history, no vision."
• "I can hardly wait to have this new monstrosity in my backyard. This kind if s*** is why I left Bozeman 22 years ago."
• "I do love that brickwork"
• "_______ Apartments on Oak Street is a massive apartment building that sailed through the permit process by promising “affordable units”. Today you can rent a 600 sf STUDIO apartment for $1900/month. Expect the same with this project."

Conversations with the developers have indicated desires to include some things like 'affordable units' and 'historical preservation' - but in the same statement, they've given themselves excuses for why those things might not happen.

• "Make sure to be vocal about what you want or don’t want for Livingston."
• "4 stories is ridiculous at this location. There are places in town that this would be a good fit, but not on a property that backs up to single family homes in the historic district."
• "Now we have 2+ years of construction to live with, and when it’s done we’ll have a couple hundred new neighbors and who knows how many windows looking down into our backyard."
• "I hope they don't make it dark gray or black. Bozeman must have gotten a bargain on that ugly color."
• "The existing brick façade is quite worthy of preservation in the new building. The conceptual drawings suggest that the proposed architecture will be another generic condo or motel style structure. The new tiresome look."

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Livingston and Bozeman are very different towns, with very different personalities. However, the two towns share so much - commuters, relatives, friends, visitors, etc. Growth problems and growing pains are to be expected.

One advantage that the City of Livingston might have is to learn from Bozeman's example - good or bad. Livingston locals have never been afraid to voice their opinions, and this particular project is prompting a lot of concern.

• "Please! Blend the architecture with LIVINGSTON and not the Bozeman look."
• "They have snuck a 5 story building in before the new zoning rules. There are currently no height limits on downtown buildings."
• "This project is demolishing a 1 story commercial building and replacing it with an enormous apartment building."
• "I don't think we can prevent it from being big... but, I'm hoping that it will at least be attractive and not the color-block of street-facing materials (quasi-industrial-sans-the-charm-and grit) that are popping up in every town across America."
• "Why have they agreed to let them tear things down before we have even seen an actual drawing of the structure they want to build?"

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